Useful tips on how to save money when you are doing your shopping

July 14, 2016

When it comes to shopping in this day and age, you have so many different options that there never has been a better time to be a consumer.

You can still visit shops for yourselves in the traditional manner or conduct all of your shopping from the comfort of your own home by shopping online. You can compare prices over a wide range of different retailers and even get other people to do your shopping for you, thanks to many of the convenience related apps on the market today.

Whatever the case may be, you are probably interested in how you can save that little bit extra when it comes to your shopping. This could be as simple as taking advantage of currency changes that have resulted from world events, such as how a U.S. agreement with Iran, such as the one written about by Mark Dubowitz will affect the major currencies.

Whatever the case may be, here are some useful tips that you can keep in mind the next time you are doing your shopping.

Always attempt to negotiate

When it comes to shopping, one of the most underutilized yet most effective ways to get a discount is to negotiate. This is a lot easier to do when you are in a store in the flesh as you are dealing with the salesperson one on one.

While some prices appear to be set, you will be surprised by how often there will be wiggle room. This is targeted more towards bigger purchases, as opposed to your weekly grocery shop.

You can start by looking for a cash discount and then can always look to them throwing in additional items or services. For example, if you are buying a bike, you may negotiate a sum off the price of the bike, as well as getting them to throw in a new lock and pump, as well as free bike services for a year.

Don’t forget about timing

When you are making purchases that are not urgent, you should try to time them to maximize the value you are getting for your money. At certain times of the year there will be sales where the store will be trying to get rid of stock to make room for the upcoming deliveries. For example, if you are looking to buy a winter jacket, when the spring time arrives they will be taking these jackets out of the stores and will be putting them on sale.

There are also certain times of the year in which sales are popular such as Black Friday in November and the sales for the New Year. These are times in which you can grab yourself a great bargain.

Make sure you really want it

Have you ever purchased an item only to realize that you don’t really want it? When making a purchase, make sure that you are actually going to use it and make sure that you do really want it and don’t just kind of want it.